May 14, 1923 - Aug. 14, 2010

BRISTOL -- Kenneth R. "Ken" Shinn, 87, of Bristol, died at 6:25 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 14, 2010) in Elkhart General Hospital.

He was born May 14, 1923, in Elkhart to Lee A. Shinn and Esther K. Warner. On May 24, 1947, he married Mary J. Myers in Elkhart. She passed away in 2007.

He is survived by one son, Lyle R. (Sharon) Shinn of Bristol; one brother, John Shinn of Dover, Fla.; two sisters, Gloria Van Diepenbos of Elkhart and Margaret (Richard) Enos of Bristol; three grandchildren, Matthew (Lori) Stoll of Branson, Mo., Jennifer (Tim) Jankowski of Chicago and Jamie Shinn of Bristol; and one son-in-law, Tom Prickett of Syracuse.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Vicki Ann Prickett; two brothers, Robert and Bill Shinn; and three sisters, Catheryne, Betty and Lora Shinn.

Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bethel United Methodist Church, 1200 N. Michigan St., Elkhart. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday with visitation one hour prior at the church. Pastor Catherine Kozitek of Bethel UMC will officiate. Burial will be at a later date in the veterans section of Prairie Street Cemetery, Elkhart. Military honors by the USMC Funeral Honor Guard and Elkhart DAV Chapter 19 will follow Wednesday's memorial.

Ken worked for Do-More Office Furniture and Adams & Westlake of Elkhart for several years, but later became the owner of Shinn's Lawn & Garden Center and John Deere Dealership in Elkhart for more than 25 years. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. In his earlier years, he and his late wife would travel the country in their RV, visiting nearly all of the 49 continental United States. He was a USMC veteran during World War II, serving in the Pacific Theatre at Iwo Jima and Volcano Island.

Memorials may be given to the church.